NEWARK, N.J. – For a fifth straight season opener, the Saint Peter's men's basketball team under head coach
Bashir Mason faced off against the program's former head coach Shaheen Holloway and his Seton Hall Pirates at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Peacocks battled through with top effort but fell short to Holloway's Pirates by a final score of 66-42.
The Peacocks played 11 total players over the course of the game, as a lot of new faces saw the floor. Saint Peter's struggled on offense in the opener, connecting on 13 field goals in the contest.
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST HALF: The Peacocks got off to a fast start, leading 8-2 over the first four minutes of play. Junior
Bryce Eaton drained a pair of threes and added a fast break bucket to pace the Saint Peter's offense in the early going. The Pirates rallied with 17 straight points and kept the Peacocks off the board for seven minutes to take a 19-8 lead. Seton Hall found their shooting late in the half, going 11-for-22 over the first 20 minutes of play. Despite their hot start, Saint Peter's ended the half shooting 25.7% from the field.
SECOND HALF: Saint Peter's offense struggled out of the gates, while the Pirates extended their lead with a pair of early three-pointers. The Peacocks picked up their scoring attack as Eaton drained a triple, while
Elijah Perkins added a bucket in the paint.
Xavier Thomas scored on an opener jumper to help close the gap to 17 points. The Pirates pulled away, scoring the next eight points to hold off the Peacocks.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Eaton led the Peacocks attack, shooting 4-for-6 from downtown, finishing with 16 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Ken Walker added eight points, while Trey Patterson totaled six.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks' home opener takes place on Thursday, Nov. 5, when they host Binghamton at 7 p.m. at Run Baby Run Arena. The game will be televised on SNY.
NOTES
Saint Peter's moves to 24-69 all-time vs. Seton Hall.
